Category: 5-Stars

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Book Review: Death at a Paris Hotel (Lady Eleanor Swift #22) by Verity Bright  @BrightVerity  @Bookouture 

Death at a Paris Hotel
(Lady Eleanor Swift #22)
by Verity Bright

 

Amazon  / B&N /  BB

For Lady Eleanor Swift, Paris means champagne at breakfast, romantic walks by the Eiffel Tower… and her deadliest case yet!

Newlyweds Lady Swift and Detective Hugh Seldon are honeymooning in the most romantic city on earth. Clifford, her butler,has come along for the trip to make sure everything goes to plan for the happy couple. And Gladstone, the mischievous bulldog, to make sure it doesn’t!

But the pair are shocked when, just as they are toasting their new marriage at the best table in their hotel’s opulent restaurant, a man tumbles through the glass roof and lands amid the silverware and coq au vin. Before he dies, he presses a striking pearl brooch into Eleanor’s hands. She has the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Has she met this man before? All too quickly, the local police arrive and immediately accuse the new Mr. and Mrs. of working with the victim – a thief who’d just robbed the museum down the block.

With her new husband by her side, Eleanor races to clear their name and discover who would kill to get their hands on the unusual brooch. Following a clue about a doomed love affair takes the gang from the famous cabarets and cobbled streets of Paris to rubbing shoulders with the aristocracy at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

But soon Eleanor notices a mysterious man in black following their every footstep. Is he friend or foe? And can Eleanor and Hugh unravel the case before the City of Light becomes the city of death?

An utterly charming and unputdownable golden age cozy mystery set in Paris. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles, and Lee Strauss will adore it.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She never meant to be late. Distractions just seemed to impede her arriving on time.

…they were met by the fantastically sculpted side whiskers and moustache of Monsieur Omfroy emerging onto the street. He regarded them with a look of alarm. She reciprocated with a genial wave, fleetingly wondering if there was a Madame Omfroy in his life, or if his facial hair was companion enough.

He smiled like a hungry crocodile.

I pity those knights of old who tried to rescue damsels in distress with a stubborn rhinoceros streak like you though. I’d have crept off quietly and left you to the dragon.

‘He’s signaling discreetly to that man in overalls over there.’ Clifford sniffed. ‘Hardly discreetly, my lady. A touch of St Vitus’s dance would have been less noticeable.’

 

My Review:

 

I continue my hero worship of all things Verity Bright, as I have adored each installment of this delightful series. Their well-honed writing style is smooth and polished, easy to fall into, and amusingly entertaining, while the enigmatic mysteries and murders are well-contrived and cleverly plotted. This volume ranks as one of my favorites because the couple is finally wed and on a Parisian honeymoon, which places the Scotland Yard detective on vacation and shows his unexpected, marshmallow-like, gooey, soft romantic side. Their honeymoon was certainly memorable and eventful.

About the Author

.
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

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Book Review: Peak Cruelty  by Britney King  @britneyking_

Peak Cruelty
by Britney King 

 

A luxury kidnapping?

Or a disaster in the making?

He’s done this before—followed women, watched them, waited for their secrets to surface.
It always ends the same. He chooses the perfect victim.
And then he makes them pay.

But this one?

She’s too perfect. Too normal. The kind of woman who smiles like she has nothing to hide.
That’s what gives her away.

When she leaves the hospital that night, he’s ready. Calm. Precise.
Until she turns to him and says: “This is a mistake.”

She’s not talking about him.

By the time he realizes he’s taken the wrong woman—she’s already inside the house. Locked in. Living by his rules.

But she’s not afraid. She won’t confess.
She won’t break.

Because she’s not the victim.
And whatever she’s hiding?
It’s not just darker than his past.
It might be deadlier.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The morning is overcast. The air tastes like ocean and electricity.

Time passes. The sun moves like it has somewhere better to be.

My Review:

 

This tense and evocatively written missive had me tied up in knots from beginning to end. Britney King has mastered her craft and possesses hypnotically strong word voodoo. I know this for a fact as each time I resumed my perusal, I quickly tumbled back into the characters’ vortex and often found myself deeply disturbed while clenching my teeth, gripping my Kindle like a vise, and sitting hunched with my shoulders to my ears.

Yet I was riveted, as if entranced, and couldn’t stop reading this wickedly twisted tale, even if I’d wanted to… which I didn’t… and I worry what that says about me… I used to be so nice…

 

About the Author

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here:

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Book Review: Rough Around the Hedges by Emma Hart @emmahartauthor

Rough Around the Hedges
by Emma Hart

Amazon  / B&N/ BB

 

He’s the city boy who wants to destroy the place she loves most.
She’s the countryside girl who is determined to break him first.
But when hearts are involved, can either of them truly win?

I, Rose Matthews, have always considered myself a perfectly reasonable person.
Until the day Oliver de Havilland—the hottie I wham, bam, thank you ma’am’d two weeks ago—shows up at Hanbury Allotments and hands me a closure notice. In two months, he’s going to shut down the place I love the most—the very place that keeps the dwindling community of our village alive.
Long story short; I’m ready to riot.
Riot. Protest. Run naked through the village centre with nothing but lettuce leaves covering my lady bits. You know, the usual.
The new Duke of Hanbury is as arrogant as the last, but there’s no way I’m going to let him get away with this. Especially not since his plan is to sell the land to make way for more cookie-cutter housing nobody wants.

This is more than a battle of wits—it’s a war, and a dirty one at that.
But I won’t lose.
Because if Oliver didn’t want to play dirty, he shouldn’t have roughed up a gardener…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

It was truly surprising how many people were interested in a calendar of naked people covering their wobbly bits with their homegrown vegetables. The internet was a strange place.

“How else should I put it?” I replied. “That we engaged in coitus? Partook in premarital activities?” He stared at me. “Tossed the hotdog down the hallway,” Isa offered. I snapped my fingers in her direction. “Did the bedtime slip’n’slide.” “Planted the parsnip.” “Fed the kitty.” “Stuffed the taco.” “Buried the bone.” “Slammed the ham.” I paused. “Why are all your sex euphemisms food- related?”

Oli, this woman is two colours short of a rainbow.

Maybe Eleanor de Havilland had a few screws loose. Well, even if she did, she was in good company. I barely had any screws, much less loose ones.

Always ask for someone’s name before you do the dance with no pants.

Put your fishing pole away. There are no compliments here for you to catch.

… she was practically running this town like a mafia lord now. The woman was a master of deceit— everyone thought she was a kind, sweet lady always willing to lend a hand, but she was actually a rabid bull who had no qualms about breaking down a door or two to get what she wanted.

My Review:

 

I adore this author, Emma Hart is da bomb! I have gleefully giggle-snorted my way through every book of hers that I’ve been lucky enough to source. Her well-honed tales are laced together with clever wit, keen snark, and sharp visuals that dance through my gray matter while featuring authentically quirky characters that I enjoy getting to know. I can’t wait to see what she conjures next.

About the Author

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Emma Hart, has written more than seventy romance novels in the last decade. She loves writing snarky, swoony romcoms with a side of chaos, occasionally venturing into romantic mysteries. Which are exactly the same as her romcoms, just with a dead body or two. That’s the reason for her questionable Internet history—at least that’s the story she’s sticking to it.

She lives on a smallholding in North Wales with her husband and their two children, a clowder of very fluffy cats, one giant German Shepherd, and an undisclosed number of chickens and ducks. Don’t ask her to count them. She will not, thank you very much.

When she’s not writing or chasing ducks in her pajamas, you can find her creating cozy gaming content for her Youtube channel and live streaming on Twitch.

Find her online:

Amazon: https://emmahart.pub/books 

Youtube: https://emmahart.pub/youtube 

Twitch: https://emmahart.pub/twitch 

Facebook: https://emmahart.pub/Facebook 

Instagram: https://emmahart.pub/Instagram 

Tiktok: https://emmahart.pub/TikTok 

Twitter: https://emmahart.pub/Twitter 

Website: https://emmahart.pub/site 

 

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Book Review: Next To Heaven by James Frey   @jamesfrey_

Next To Heaven
by James Frey

Amazon  / B&N / GP / BB

 

Uncover the dark underbelly of the American dream America’s most perfect town, in this “lurid” and “propulsive” novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Frey (New York Times Book Review Podcast)–and discover a world where privilege, sex, scandal, and murder lurk beneath a flawless veneer.

New Bethlehem, Connecticut. Picture-perfect lawns, manicured hedges, and multi-million dollar homes present a carefully curated facade. But beneath the designer yoga gear and country club memberships lies a darker reality.

In this world of excess, best friends Devon and Belle have it all—beauty, money, status. But they want something more. Something dangerous. Something that makes them feel alive. Their solution? A party—a meticulously curated gathering of New Bethlehem’s elite, from a desperate ex-NFL quarterback to a hockey coach with a penchant for married women, and a ruthless Wall Street “closer” who wields his wealth like a weapon.

One night. An ultra-elite swingers party. Multiple betrayals. And a murder that will shatter New Bethlehem’s carefully constructed facade.

Enter a world of troubled opulence and sharp betrayal that’s reminiscent of “The White Lotus,” “Your Friends and Neighbors,” and “Big Little Lies”—a world of spectacularly badly-behaved rich people where money can buy anything. . .until it ruins everything.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Despite their advantages, rich people were rarely ever cool, though they spent huge amounts of money trying to achieve it. And cool people were rarely rich because they were lazy, and part of being cool is not giving a f*. But rich people and cool people often interact because each has what the other wants.

He thought laws were made for people who weren’t smart enough to figure out how to break them.

Alex could feel his hands shaking; it felt like his blood had been replaced by some poisonous liquid made out of a combination of self-hatred and shame.

…her only plan was not to make any plans. To sleep late and keep the workouts light and go to the movies and take long walks and eat a little more than she should and drink a little more than she should and allow herself the beauty of boredom, the joy of unproductivity, the pleasure of being still.

My Review:

 

I fell into this cleverly penned tale and found it evocatively detailed, cunningly paced, highly entertaining, and delightfully snarky. I do loves me some witty snark, and this crafty scribbler has been quite gifted and generous with sprinkling it throughout his characters’ encounters and inner musings. The characters themselves are reprehensible, selfish, snobbish, and deeply flawed; in other words, realistically depicted for most of the upper class.

 

 

James Christopher Frey is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated, sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey’s first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.

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Book Review:  Frosting and Flames (Aurora Bakery Book 1) by Allie Winters  @alliewintersauthor

Frosting and Flames
(Aurora Bakery Book 1)
by Allie Winters

Amazon / BB

 

Rachel is no stranger to responsibility—or heartbreak. As the eldest of three sisters, she’s the glue holding their small-town bakery together, juggling taxes, recipes, and endless layers of frosting while quietly nursing the sting of her boyfriend’s betrayal earlier this year. Love? Not on the menu.
.
Her best friend, Jae, has other ideas, especially when it comes to the hunky local firefighter, Nick. Too bad Jae doesn’t know about the incident from their teenage years—the one where Nick burned down the bakery.
.
Nick’s spent years thinking Rachel despises him, and honestly, he wouldn’t blame her. But when Jae signs Rachel up to help with the fire station’s fundraiser, he and Rachel are forced into close quarters. As sparks fly that have nothing to do with fire safety, Nick starts to wonder if there’s a chance to rebuild what they lost—and maybe even something more.
.
Rachel can’t ignore the heat between them, but trusting Nick means letting go of the past. Can she take the risk, or will the flames of their shared history consume them both?
.
What to expect:
🔥Small town romance
🧁Forced proximity
🔥Steamy slow burn
🧁Baker heroine
🔥Firefighter hero
🧁He falls first

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Sometimes you have to fight bad behavior with bad behavior. They won’t understand they did anything wrong if you take the high road.” She motions toward herself. “Come on. Take the low road with me.”

“You’re diabolical,” I tell her. “Evil overlord in the making.” She shrugs, looking pleased, even though it wasn’t a compliment. “It’s a gift.”

That was dinner? I thought it was a science experiment.

One of the things about living in a small town is you never have to deliver bad news, because everyone’s already heard it.

“Is he bad in bed?” she asks, then lowers her voice. “Does he have a micropenis?” Her question jars me enough that I stop crying. “You think that’s why I’m upset?” “I’d cry if my boyfriend had a micropenis,” Sydney says with a smirk.

My Review:

 

I gleefully bounced in my chair with unbridled delight as I read this highly amusing tale. The endearing characters were clever and quirky, and the author’s wit sparkled like a glitter ball. The emotional tone was well-balanced and hit all the feels between hits of giggle-snort worthy humor. I adore Allie Winters, her word voodoo is strong.

 

 

Allie is the author of the Suncoast University series, the Bishop Brothers series, and the Lessons Learned series. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband, daughter, and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney.
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Book Review: Take Me to the Wedding (The Amazing Doctors of Oak Bluff #2) by Miranda Liasson @mirandaliasson

Take Me to the Wedding
(The Amazing Doctors of Oak Bluff #2)
by Miranda Liasson

Amazon / B&N / BB

Save the Date! for the second heartwarming and humorous book in the Amazing Doctors of Oak Bluff series…coming soon in e-book and print.

How do you know who is the right one for you?

Dr. Samantha Bashar has made a terrible mistake—she let her rocky professional relationship with Dr. Caleb D’Angelo become personal – and accidentally ruined his chances to win back his first true love.

Coming from a proud line of matchmakers, she can’t let that happen, no matter how much she dislikes him. Or the fact that she doesn’t believe in true love for herself. Plus, Caleb is her best friend’s brother. And they’re in the same wedding at the end of the summer – oh, yay.

Dr. Caleb D’Angelo isn’t trying to make enemies…call him a romantic, but he’s just trying to take his chance to see if The One Who Got Away is the right one for him. While avoiding the woman who is T for Trouble at every turn—even though she “feels bad” and is determined to “help him” no matter what he says.

Except the more Samantha helps Caleb, the more his sworn enemy turns into something completely unexpected—she’s funny and kind and very kissable—and Caleb must decide if the One for him isn’t from his past at all—but is the person who’s been right in front of him all along.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He made a strange face. I squinted and examined him closely. “Did you almost laugh or is that your constipated face?” I asked.

Something on that cliffside had been set in action, like a match that had been struck, a fuse lit, and the only way was forward. I could no longer stay in my safe, insulated box. He’d smoked me out.

She over-smiled. Like, the kind of smile you give when you’re trying hard not to cry.

My Review:

I have reveled in every book I’ve ever picked up from this smooth wordsmith. Her storytelling is engaging, relevant, well-honed, and so thoughtfully and perceptively detailed, it scrolled effortlessly through my gray matter like a movie reel. Told in my favorite dual POV, the characters were endearingly complicated, flawed, and witty.

 

 

Author Bio:

Miranda Liasson loves to write stories about everyday people who find love despite themselves because there’s nothing like a great love story. And if there are a few laughs along the way, even better! She’s a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart winner and an Amazon bestselling author whose heartwarming and humorous small-town romances have won accolades such as the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and have been Harlequin Junkie and Night Owl Reviews Top Picks.

 

Connect with Miranda: 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter | Bookbub | Pinterest | Blog

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Book Review: Murder Under A Mystic Moon (A Mona Moon Mystery Book 14) by Abigail Keam @AbigailKeam

Murder Under A Mystic Moon
(A Mona Moon Mystery Book 14)
by Abigail Keam

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

 

High society sleuth Mona Moon and her husband, Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, are on the last leg of their honeymoon. They are island hopping in the sunny Mediterranean Sea, sightseeing all the ancient archaeological ruins before returning home to Mooncrest Farm in Kentucky. They find it odd that they keep running into old friends like Agatha Christie and associates along their trip. A sixth sense is telling Mona that danger is slowly closing in, but she has no idea how it will manifest itself. Will Mona’s dream honeymoon turn into a nightmare?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I must have been dreaming but I thought I heard you use every filthy word I know and then some new ones when addressing the Pinkertons.

Those guys are useless. They couldn’t organize a two-car funeral.

My Review:

 

All aboard for another fun and fast-paced Mona Moon mystery. I continue to enjoy these quick and amusing installments featuring an unusual and authentic socialite busybody with a unique appearance and bottomless wallet. She’s a tiny package with a big brain and a kind heart to match.

About the Author

Award-winning author Abigail Keam writes the Mona Moon Mystery Series—a rags-to-riches 1930s mystery series, which weaves real people and events into
the story. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information
into my mysteries. There is an addendum at the end of the mystery to give
more information. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little
history along the way—well, then we are both happy.”
Miss Abigail currently lives on the Palisades bordering the Kentucky River in a
metal house with her husband and various critters.
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Series Review: The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club The Upgrade (The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club, #1) The VIP Package (The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club, #2) by Tawna Fenske @tawnafenskebooks

The Upgrade
(The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club #1)

Amazon/ BB

Just one thing tastes sweeter than revenge on my ex;
Forbidden fruit in the form of my best friend’s older brother.

It started innocently enough.
Kit needed a fake date for his ex’s glamorous party.
I needed a practice swing fling to launch my trip to an exclusive sex resort.
I know what you’re thinking.
Eve’s not that kind of girl.
But my ex’s betrayal has me speeding down scandalous paths I’ve never explored.
A luxury, fantasy retreat where women’s pleasure comes first.
And so will I.
The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club boasts a fantasy menu to fulfill my wildest desires.
Sensuous massage, group play, same-sex pleasures…it’s all here for me to sample.
Then the one man I shouldn’t want shows up where I least expect him.
I’ve craved Kit’s touch since our single, scorching night last week.
There’s no way I’m resisting him now.
Keeping our secret could cost more than my closest friendship.
The price of this off-limits pleasure is the freedom I’ve fought to reclaim.

 

The VIP Package
(The Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club #2)
 by Tawna Fenske

When my fiancé forgets to show up for our wedding
I show up at the one place on earth I can’t go.
No, literally, I can’t—it’s forbidden to be here right now.
How was I supposed to know the Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club closed for a holiday?
No naughty massages or sexy group play like my blissed-out best friend had here.
Just a grumpy gazillionaire who’s pissed that I’ve crashed his closed sex club.
I came here seeking a no-strings revenge fling with an older stranger.
Billionaire resort owner Ashton Holyfield will do nicely.
He’s sexy and snarky and absolutely won’t connect carnal pleasure with feelings.
Perfect.
At least until we wind up trapped together in this tropical paradise.
We’re forced to spend sensuous days on his luxury yacht,
and steamy hot nights indulging my wildest desires.
There are worse things, I’m sure.
Like falling in love with this tortured bosshole, for one.
Another is learning the reason he’s punished himself for so long.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The Upgrade #1

There’s a sprinkle of gray at his temples, and he’s hot in that older guy way Camille calls a Zaddy.

After years of not knowing him, it sucks to think I can’t know him now.

And I’m glad we’re not normal.

The VIP Package #2

I’m pretty sure he’d look great bald. He’d look great wearing a burlap sack and a Burger King crown.

He spoke like a man addressing a third grader eating Crayolas in class.

All the thoughts I’ve been pushing to the back of my brain come charging at me like rabid goblins. I’m twitchy and flummoxed and maybe a little bit scared.

You’re kind and you’re funny and I feel like the best version of me when I’m around you.

“Is that a can of Pringles in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?” A broad smile spreads over his face. “I am very happy to see you.” He drops a hand to his pocket and pulls out the familiar red can. “And also, I brought Pringles.”

My Review:

 

I greedily devoured the first two installments of this series like a binge dieter at a buffet. Both of these salacious tales are full of gasp-producing sizzle, humorous quips, snarky sass, and dehydrating sensuality. Keep libation at hand and fans on high as this crafty scribe has brought a wide variety of heart-pounding heat to this series, as well as all the feels, romance, and amusing humor. I am eagerly awaiting the third installment, and I will read anything Ms. Fenske cares to scribble.

About the Author 

Website 
Amazon
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter 
Instagram

 

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

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Book Review: Twisted Bones (Detective Morgan Brookes Book 15) by Helen Phifer   @helenphifer @bookouture 

Twisted Bones
(Detective Morgan Brookes Book 15)
by Helen Phifer

Amazon  / B&N / BB

Morgan kneels beside the fluttering crime scene tape. Their hands clasped, the couple’s embrace looks loving and warm, but an icy chill grips the air. Their lips are blue, and blood is dripping on the floor. They have been silenced forever…

When sweet-natured teaching assistant Rosie Waite, and her boyfriend Matt, are found dead in their quaint family home in the Lake District, Detective Morgan Brookes is horrified. Sleeping just two doors down, she heard no screams for help, no slamming doors, or alarms in the night. A twisted killer nailed the couple’s lips shut, and Morgan vows to keep watch over every innocent family in Rydal Falls until this monster is brought to justice.Climbing the narrow attic staircase as she searches every inch of the property, Morgan finds a mattress on the floor, empty food wrappers, and a letter that reads: if you’ve found this, you’re next to die. Fear washes over Morgan’s team; the killer was watching his victims, and now her life is at risk.

Ignoring pleas that she take a step back, Morgan throws herself harder at the case discovering that the nails used to bind the victims’ lips were pierced with expert equipment. And Matt had been asking questions at a local tattoo parlour. Everyone thought he and Rosie were a quiet, kind-hearted couple, but was Matt hiding a dangerous secret? Did he betray the woman he loved?

Moonlight shines over the cottage by the river, casting a shadow over the frozen water. Silk fabric rustles in the reeds, moving ever so slightly to reveal five thin bones…

When Detective Morgan Brookes is urgently called to her Aunt Ettie’s cottage, hidden in Covel Woods, she rushes to the scene. Panicked Ettie is shaken having discovered the chilling remains of a woman in the river, one skeletal hand reaching out from the deep water.

The unknown woman was dressed to walk the rugged trails of the Lake District, so Morgan’s team assume she fell in the water and was taken by the current. But thin diagonal bruises on her neck suggest something far more sinister. A faded red rose tattoo helps Morgan identify her as a homeless woman named Martha who went missing seven years ago, and Morgan is horrified to discover Martha stole nappies and baby formula just before she disappeared. Did she have a child? Where is the poor baby now?

Desperately searching through cold case files, Morgan discovers that schoolteacher Aria Burns went missing from the same busy area. But her horror quickly turns to hope when she sees the autopsy results from Martha’s frozen remains. She was killed recently; if Aria was taken by the same killer, she could still be alive.

Morgan is certain a twisted individual is stalking Rydal Falls, and Martha’s body was dumped to signal the beginning of his cruel game. But just as she finds a clear suspect in a visitor with links to the area where Martha and Aria went missing, another body surfaces. Can she uncover the truth about Martha, and find Aria alive? Or is she already too late?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Rachel McLean will hold their breath as they read this addictive and utterly unputdownable crime thriller.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I definitely don’t expect you to cook, Morgan, I don’t want to add food poisoning to his list of problems. He has enough without forcing your cooking onto him.

She felt her skin crawl, this guy had to be in his late fifties, with a receding hairline and a comb-over. Thick wire-rimmed glasses made his small, narrow eyes look as if they wouldn’t be out of place on a rat. If she had to pick a serial killer out of a seventies’ line-up, he would be the one standing nestled between Dahmer and Nielsen; he gave her the creeps.

My Review:

 

Another well-crafted, smartly paced,  and unpredictable case for the superior detecting skills of Morgan Brookes. No serial killer gets past her spidey senses. However, this time, the culprit was not even on her radar, or mine, for that matter. As always, Ms. Phifer’s writing was absorbing and easy to fall into, with lots of red herrings and misdirection to keep us scratching our heads, and our curiosity well and truly poked. I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to her next installment.

 

Helen Phifer is the bestselling writer of the hugely popular Detective Morgan Brookes series. As well as the Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams, and Maria Miller series of books.  Her debut novel, The Ghost House, featuring Annie Graham, became a global bestseller.
She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness, surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District. Her favourite hobbies include reading, chasing the Aurora Borealis when it appears, visiting Salem, watching the sunset, the moon rise, and drinking coffee.  Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years, and to Alice Hoffman’s beautiful stories for inspiring her love of all things witchy and to write fantasy novels alongside her crime thrillers.
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Book Review: Vice and Virtue (A Layla Virtue Mystery #1) by Libby Klein @libbykleinbooks

Vice and Virtue
(A Layla Virtue Mystery #1)
by Libby Klein

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Layla Virtue, a blue-haired, thirtysomething recovering alcoholic and former cop is trying to reinvent herself in this hilarious and heartfelt mystery.


Layla is taking her new life one day at a time from the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park she now calls home. Being alone is how she likes it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Although try telling that to the group of local ladies in relentless pursuit of her as their new BFF.Meanwhile, after her first career ended in a literal explosion, Layla’s trying to eke out a living as a rock musician. It’s hard competing against garage bands who work for tacos and create their music on a computer while all she has is an electric guitar and leather-ish pants. But she isn’t in a position to turn down any gig—which is why she’s at an eight-year-old’s birthday party, watching as Chuckles the Clown takes a bow under the balloon animals. No one expects it will be his last…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It would have been charming if it weren’t the place where dreams go to die.

Agnes was a prickly woman of retirement age whose hobbies appeared to be telling other people what was wrong with them and sucking on lemons.

There was a poster hanging on the back wall that said JESUS ALREADY KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU DON’T WANT YOUR MOMMA TO FIND OUT.

Miranda was perpetually uptight about most things. Punctuality was just a lone grain of sand on the seashore of her pet peeves.

Let me check the temperature of Hell and get back to you.

I loiter at the diabetic supply store looking for my next sugar momma.

There were two reasons I didn’t hang out with women. They could turn vicious in a pack environment, and I had an aversion to drama.

The world is full of trolls who want to steal your happiness to make up for their own misery.

Apparently, they can’t diagnose that until I’m dead, which sounds like a load of crap telling someone you have a disease that will kill you and we’ll let you know for sure after it does.

My Review:

 

I vastly enjoyed this witty tale. The writing was well-paced, populated with the most quirkiest of characters, and laced together with world-class snark. I had highlighted so many favorite quotes that it was rather painful to pare down the list to include in my review. This was just my first date with the crafty scribe known as Libby Klein, but we are going to be an ongoing item if she can continue to churn out more cleverly penned tales on par with Vice and Virtue. I am eager to see what she conjures up as the next adventure for this tribe of eccentric snoops.

About the Author

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Libby Klein writes ridiculously funny murder mysteries from her Northern Virginia office with a very naughty calico Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle, and a sweet black Lab named Vader. She can name that tune for 70s and 80s rock in the first few notes, and she’s translated her love of classic rock into her Layla Virtue Mysteries. Libby was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevents her from eating gluten without exploding. Because bread is one of her love languages, she includes the recipes for gluten-free goodies in her Cape May based Poppy McAllister series. Most of her hobbies revolve around travel, and eating, and eating while traveling. She insists she can find her way to any coffee shop anywhere in the world, even while blindfolded.